Piano-action



(NoModeL) A. H. STUART & E. WILLARD. PIANO ACTION.

No. 415,426. Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT ll. STUART AND EPHRAIM VILLARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415, l26, datedNovember 19, 1889.

Application filed March 25, 1889.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALBERT H. STUART and EPHRAIM WILLARD, both ofBoston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,

have invented jointly a new and useful Improvement in Piano-Actions, ofwhich the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a specification.

Our invention relates to piano-actions, and

I0 is applicable to square, grand, and upright pianos; and it consistsin certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combinationof parts, which will be readily understood by reference to thedescription of the drawings and to the claims to be hereinafter given,and in which our invention is particularly pointed out.

' Figure 1 of the drawings is a transverse vertical sectionthrough thekey-board,'soundingboard, and the action-supporting rails of an uprightpiano, and showing one key and its action in elevation with ourinvention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of aslightly-different arrangement of our improve ment adapted to uprightpianos. Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of the same form of our improvementadapted to square and grand pianos, and Fig. 4 is a somewhat differentarrangement of our invention adapted to square 0 and grand pianos.

In the drawings, A is the key, fulcru m ed at a. B is thesounding-board; O, the string; D, the hammer-butt; D, the hammer-stem; Dthe hammer, composed of the wooden stock I) 3 5 and the felt and leathercushion D. E is the jack; F, the ordinaryback-check; G, the hammer-rail;II, the jack and back-check carrying lever, connected to the key A bymeans of the jack-rod I and the adjustable fulcrum-arm J. K is thedamper, c is the hammer-flange, and d is the flange, to which is pivotedthe jack-carrying lever II, all of which may be constructed and arrangedin any well-known manner and adapted to either upright, square,

-5 or grand pianos.

\Vhen a blow is struck upon the string by the hammer, the hammerrebounds therefrom with considerable force, and if the operator retainsthe finger upon the key the hammer would strike the string a second timewere it not arrested by the baclccheck F, which ef- Serial No. 304,704.(No model.)

the same key has to be struck several times in rapid succession thehammer often rebounds to such an extent that it does not return to itsnormal position before the key is struck the second time, and as aconsequence the hammer fails to respond to the second blow so fares togive any useful sound.

To obviate this objection and prevent any injurious rebound of thehammer after its return to its normal position is the object of ourinvention, and to attain this desirable end we substitute for theordinary hammer-stop rail the rail L, to which are secured a series offlanges e, correspondingin number to the number of hammers used, andpivot to each of said flanges an elbow-lever M, the longer arm of whichlies between said rail L and the hammer-stem D, and has adjustablyattached thereto a stop-button f, against which the hammer-stem Dstrikes when the finger is removed from the key after the hammer hasstruck the string. The shorter arm of the elbow-lever M extends from thefulcrum of said lever toward the strings, as shown in Figs. 1 and a, orin the opposite direction, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and is so arrangedrelative to the hammer-stock b that when the hammerstem D strikes thebutton f and the lever M is moved slightly about its fulcrum theadjacent face of said shorter arm, which is covered with felt or leatherg g, or both, comes in contact with the adjacent face of the hammerstookb, which is also covered at 7L with felt or leather, or both, and thuseffectually prevents any injurious rebound of the hammer; but at thesame time said lever does not press upon the hammer-stock so as toaffect injuriously the ease with which the action may be operated.

In applying our improvement to upright pianos we prefer to arrange thestop-lever as ICO shown in Fig. 1, though it may be arranged as shown inFig. 2 without departing from the principle of our invention, which isutilizing the momentum of the rebound of the hammer from the string tooperate the check-lever to prevent a rebound in the opposite direction.A light spring vi serves to relieve the pressure of said short arm uponthe hammer-stock as soon as the force of the blow of the ham merrod 011the button fis spent and maintains said lever in a position to permitthe free movement of the hammer, and a stop-pad j limits the movement ofthe elbow-lever M about its axis in one direction.

In square and grand pianos, in which the back-check for catching thehammer on its rebound from the string and holding it at rest while thekey remains depressed is arranged to act directly upon the hammer-stockinstead of upon the hammer-butt, the elbow-lever must necessarily actupon the inner side of the hammer-stock, as shown in Fig. 3, or upon anindependent arm is, secured upon the hammer-rod D, as shown in Fig. 4;but in each of these cases, as well as those shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thesame principle of operation applies and the same result is produced insubstantially the same manner.

The operation of our invention will be readily understood from theforegoing without further explanation here.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. In a piano-action, the combination, with the hammer, of anelbow-lever, an adjustable stop-button mounted on one arm of said leverand arranged in a position to be acted upon by said hammer to move saidlever about its axis at the end of its rearward movement after havingstruck the string, and a pad or cushion on the other arm of said leverconstructed, arranged, and adapted to engage said hammer when said leveris struck by the hammer in its rearward movement and thus prevent arebound of said hammer toward the string.

2. In combination with the hammer of a piano-action, an elbow-leverprovided with an adjustable stop-button on one arm and a felted cushionon its other arm so constructed and arranged relative to the hammer andhammerrod that when said hammer rebounds from the string when the keyreturns to its normal position after being struck said stop-button willbe struck by the hammer-rod, and the felted arm of said elbow-lever willtherebybc made to engage the hammer-stock and pre vent a rebound towardthe string.

3. In combination with the hammer of a piano-action, the elbow-lever M,the adjustable stop-button f carried thereby, the felted cushion on theother arinof said lever, the stop j, and the spring '1', allconstructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for thepurposes described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specificatiominthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 15th day of March, A.D. 1889.

ALBERT II. STUART. EPIIRAIM \VILLARI').

\Yitnesses:

NATHAN C. LOMBARD, WALTER E. LOMBARD.

